APPENDIX 3
Taken from Department of the Parliamentary Library, Bills Digest No. 50 of 1998-99, p. 4.
List of 12 Regional Forest Agreements with progress towards their signing, in likely chronological order
(Information supplied by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and Environment Australia)
| Region | Progress with Regional Forest Agreement |
|---|
| VIC - East
Gippsland | Signed 3 February 1997. Not a legally binding document and should be re-examined prior to
enactment of this Bill. This was the easiest RFA to develop because of the areas of old growth
forest and wilderness already protected in reserves. |
| TAS - Tasmania | Signed 8 November 1997. The entire State is one region. One section was intended to be legally
binding to both Tasmania and the Commonwealth, but the RFA should be re-examined prior to
enactment of this Bill. |
| VIC - Central
Highlands | Signed 27 March 1998. Following the concept of the Tasmanian RFA, a part of the document
was intended to be legally binding but the RFA should be re-examined prior to enactment of this
Bill. |
| NSW - Eden | Was due to be signed by 31 December 1998. CRA and Directions Paper released in May 1998.
The NSW Government has announced new reserves but there is no agreement with the
Commonwealth. |
| VIC - North East | Likely to be signed in early part of 1999. CRA Paper released in August 1998. Directions Paper
outlining options being prepared. |
| WA - South West
Forest | Signing of an RFA is expected shortly. Consultation Paper released in May 1998. Public
consultation period ended 31 July 1998. |
| NSW - Upper
North East NSW | Was due to be signed by 31 December 1998. CRA and Directions Paper released on 12
November 1998. The NSW Government has announced new reserves but there is no agreement
with the Commonwealth. |
| QLD - South East
Queensland | The negotiated date for signing is 31 December 1998 but this is unlikely to be met. The CRA is
expected to be released before the end of 1998 followed by the development of the Directions
paper. |
| NSW - Lower
North East NSW | The Commonwealth's preferred position is 30 June 1999. This is yet to be agreed to by NSW.
There is no consultation paper or Options report released yet. |
| NSW - Southern | Due to be signed on or after 30 June 1999. It is one of the last of the RFAs to be signed. There is
no consultation paper or Options report released yet |
| VIC - Gippsland | Signing expected in mid-1999. Work on CRA began in May 1998. There is no consultation paper
or Options report released yet. |
| VIC - Western | Signing possible by end of 1999. There is no consultation paper or Options report released yet. |